


Every Move You Make

by amusensical



Series: Forging a Bond [3]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: 18-Month Time Gap (Rusty Quill Gaming), Broken but not lost, Canon Compliant, M/M, Might as well be telepathy, Possible Spoilers after Episode 115, Puppy Carter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:09:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28392927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusensical/pseuds/amusensical
Summary: “Not whistles, more like body language. Ever watch those sheep dog competitions, where the dogs just seem to know what to do? The herder is giving directions, we just can’t see it.”
Relationships: James Barnes/Howard Carter
Series: Forging a Bond [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079369
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Every Move You Make

“So there’s something I want to try, and you can say no right now or let me tell you about it and then decide.” They’re sitting at one of the tables in the common tent, eating stew of some sort, and it’s the longest sentence from Barnes in the two weeks they’ve been traveling.

“Well that’s not mysterious at all,” says Carter, spooning up stew as quickly as possible. “Is it a sex thing?”

“No, it’s not a sex thing,” says Barnes. “It’s a discipline thing. Sort of.”

“But not a sex thing.” Carter ducks away from Barnes’ backhanded swipe. 

“Or a squad thing, but really just you. I don’t think the others can do it.”

“And now I’m actually interested,” says Carter, “And I’m done with my food, so tell me.”

“I think there are some signals we could use when we are working through a town or on the road. Thing is, they are usually used with dogs.”

“Dogs? Like dog whistles and such?”

“Not whistles, more like body language. Ever watch those sheep dog competitions, where the dogs just seem to know what to do? The herder is giving directions, we just can’t see it.”

“You want me to herd sheep? What the fuck, Barnes?” Carter stands up, grabbing the empty bowl and sloshing water from the metal cup.

“No, not sheep, and not herding. Can I try something?” Barnes is earnest, as usual, and doesn’t seem to be in a teasing mood. 

“I guess. You can. I mean, sure.” 

From where he sits, Barnes flicks his eyes to Carter’s dishes, then to Carter’s face, then looks toward the table where the dirty dishes get stacked. He doesn’t turn back, just looks where the dishes go.

“Huh. Well if you don’t want to do it, that thing. All right.” Carter picks up his dishes and takes them over to the table. Turning back toward the table, he turns back into Barnes’ direct gaze. Barnes lifts his chin up, like a nod, but up, and Carter stops. Just stops, right where he is. 

Barnes turns his head to look at the door. Carter follows the motion, looking at the door, then turning back to Barnes and shifting his weight as if to step forward. Again Barnes does that little upwards nod, and Carter stops.

“What. Barnes. What?” 

Barnes stands up, and Carter tips his head very slightly, as if Barnes has said something in a soft voice.

Barnes holds eye contact with Carter, pushing back his chair. He extends his left arm to the side, palm facing Carter, then shifts his focus from Carter’s face to his own hand.

“Walk with me.”

Carter steps forward again, walking to Barnes’s left side. As soon as Carter’s forward motion brings him even, Barnes drops his hand to his side and starts walking toward the door. Carter just turns with him, and falls into step just off his left shoulder. 

They go through the door, and when Barnes stops, Carter does a little shuffle side step to keep from bumping into him.

Barnes turns to Carter with a proper grin, not just an amused smile. “That. Huh. That was even better than I thought. But I was right.”

“What do you mean? Right about what? ” Carter’s head is tilted again, and his eyes watch Barnes intently.

“Carter, you are amazing,” says Barnes. “It’s like you pick up what I’m thinking but you don’t even know it. How come you’re standing right there?”

“You told me? Anyway where else would I be?” 

Barnes is still grinning. “Right there is good, it’s where you should be. Let’s try something else. Let’s say we’re moving along, and you’re ranging in front, like you do. See if you can look where I think you should look, then come back when I want you.”

Over the next hour, Barnes and Carter work out a system of mostly silent signals based on the simple fact that Carter watches Barnes, all the time. Barnes knows that having him in sight is a comfort of some kind to Carter and takes it for granted that wherever they are, Carter can see him. As they’ve travelled, the attention has evolved into something almost preternatural. The signals are almost more for Barnes, since Carter just seems to know when to loop back, when to cross the road, when to stop. 

“You really didn’t know you were doing that?” Barnes asks later. 

“Really not,” says Carter. “When we’re out there, it’s good to be walking, or running, and looking at things. And. I don’t want to be alone. So I just go where you go.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Every Breath You Take" by The Police


End file.
